My little man turned 3 this week and I threw him a Superhero Birthday Party that won’t soon be forgotten. My wonderful friend, Vanessa Gosseen, helped me capture photos of the party details. Check out her blog Project 52: A Year in Photos. (Photo’s not marked with TheLushNest.com are credited to Vanessa)
Super Enzo!
The theme for this party was inspired by the ‘Superhero Calling’ birthday invitations I purchased on TinyPrints.com. Once I saw the invite, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of the party.
Superhero Picture Backdrop
Tiny Prints Invitation
The grassy knoll and abstract city skyline made the perfect backdrop for the Superhero on the invitation, so I decided to replicate the scene for a picture backdrop during the party.
I re-purposed the backdrop frame I created for the Peacock Bridal Shower. I simply removed the old fabric and staples, and it was ready for a new look.
To be cost-effective, I used a plastic tablecloth from Party City instead of fabric for the blue background color. The tablecloth was less than $2.00. I used duct tape to attach it to the back of the frame and made sure to stretch it tightly to release an wrinkles.
Superhero Backdrop
The black buildings were cut from sheets of felt and yellow paper helped to light the windows from inside. The puffy white cloud was created from left-over batting from a throw pillow and the grassy knoll was cut from an oversized sheet of green construction paper. I used craft glue to attach everything to the blue background, and also created a green floor mat out of craft foam.
Capes & Masks
The kids had fun getting their picture taken in front of the backdrop and they loved playing ‘Superheroes’!
They each had masks and a cape with their first initial as their superhero logo. They flew around the house with their arms out like Superman. It was so much fun to watch!
The capes were very easy to make, thanks to the great time-saving idea I spotted on TheSouthernInstitute.com. I came across their Superhero Cape Tutorial and knew the capes would be great during the party as well as a party favor for the kids to take home.
I went to my local craft store and they had a great deal on solid colored t-shirts (5 for $10), so I purchased a different shade for each kid. Using my rotary cutter I carefully cut out the shape, leaving the neck hole in tact. I cut the length of the t-shirt as well, since some of the kids are still small, I thought shorter might be better.
You could easily leave the edges unfinished, but I chose to turn them under one time and used a contrasting thread with a zig-zag stitch to add a bit more polish.
For the letter logos, I purchased colored sheets of felt with sticky backing. For a more permanent solution, you could sew the felt on, which is something I simply didn’t have the time to do. The sticky felt worked great and was very easy to cut through with an Exacto knife. I sketched each logo on paper first and looked at the sketch as a guide while cutting out the felt.
The capes turned out to be really fun during the party and I’ve heard the kids are still wearing them at home!
I also purchased black masks for the boys and white masks for the girls from Party City. They were only 99¢ each, and made the perfect addition to the superhero costume. Overall, the cost of the cape and mask for each child was about $4.00. I’m so happy I took the time to make these; hopefully they will be added to their dress-up collections for years to come.
Super-Buddies!
The pictures in front of the backdrop turned out super cute, and even some of the adults got into the action. I’ll spare them the embarrassment, and won’t be posting those pictures. :)
Party Food
After the kids had a chance to break in their new capes, we sat down for lunch.
Healthy Lunch
Crudité
The adults enjoyed a simple and healthy meal that was quick and easy to throw together. With a chaotic kids party, keeping the menu simple was important!
I made chicken souvlaki skewers, warm quinoa salad, a crudité platter, and fresh berries.
The quinoa was dressed up with chopped tomato, chopped cucumber, finely chopped red onion, minced garlic, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
Quinoa Salad
This salad is healthy and tasty, and can be served hot or cold, which makes it great for parties!
For the chicken souvlaki, I tossed the chicken tenders in a quick marinade of lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, minced oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper, and set it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. I skewered each tender and used an indoor grill-pan instead of the bbq, which was super quick and easy.
To drink, we had lemonade and sparkling lemon water (simple and refreshing). I put the beverages in matching pitchers and garnished with fresh slices of lemon.
For the kiddo’s, I made sack lunches complete with a ‘Super-Enzo’ logo on the bags and all of the special snacks my little man loves.
Sack Lunches
The kids had mini PB & J sandwiches, applesauce ‘squeezies’, string cheese, strawberry fruit bites, and a choice of a juice box or chocolate milk to drink.
Kids Lunch
I set-up the lunch bags and kids drinks on a tray with another city-scape backdrop behind. This one was made with foam board to fit above the desk in the kitchen. I wrapped the foam board with another plastic party tablecloth, similar to the picture backdrop. The buildings were cut from construction paper and attached with craft glue.
City Backdrop
The ‘Super-Enzo’ garland and tags on the lunch sacks were another special touch. I used teal textured paper with a yellow background to create Enzo’s very own Superhero emblem.
Super-Enzo Emblem
I started by cutting out the outer shape in the teal paper and used an Exacto knife to cut out the ‘E’ on the inside. I mounted the teal on yellow paper, leaving a slight border of yellow around. To avoid making a million of these, I scanned it to my computer and then made color copies in different sizes for the lunch tags and the garland. The color copies were a huge time saver, and they still looked dimensional, even up close!
Ice Cream Bar
To finish off lunch, the kids (and adults) enjoyed making their own ice cream sundaes.
Ice Cream Sundae fit for a Superhero!
l put ice cubes in the bottom of a small galvanized beverage bucket, placed a large plate over the ice, and set three 1/2 gallon containers of ice cream on top of the plate (this kept the ice cream cartons from getting soggy).
I chose 3 classic flavors: Chocolate, Vanilla, and Strawberry. The kids got to choose their ice cream flavors and their special toppings. The sundaes were served up in clear plastic cups with red spoons.
To top off the layers of yummy ice cream, I had a selection of fun toppings. Gummy bears, mini chocolate chips, star shaped sprinkles, crushed oreos, mini marshmallows, and even more sprinkles…
Sprinkles Galore!
Once the Superhero Sundaes were assembled, Enzo blew out his candle and made a wish!
Yummy!
Make a Wish!
After an afternoon of Superhero fun, my big 3 year-old was tuckered out…
Time for a Nap…
